Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomass is uniquely suited as a sustainable feedstock for the biotechnological production of alternative fuels and chemicals. However, due to the biomass recalcitrance, the enzymatic conversion process is complex and needs to be simplified. To this end, we developed a process, which allows the consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulose to ethanol in a single multi-species biofilm membrane reactor featuring both aerobic and anaerobic conditions necessary for the simultaneous fungal cellulolytic enzyme production and alcoholic yeast fermentation of the hydrolysis-derived sugars. The general feasibility of the concept was successfully demonstrated by producing ethanol with a 67% yield from undetoxified whole slurry dilute acid pretreated wheat straw by the combined action of Trichoderma reesei, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Scheffersomyces stipitis. The results achieved underscore the potential of the process as a versatile cheap sugar platform for the production of fuels and chemicals based on lignocellulosic biomass by specifically compiled consortia of industrially proven robust microorganisms.
Highlights
We developed a process, which allows the consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulose to ethanol in a single multi-species biofilm membrane reactor featuring both aerobic and anaerobic conditions necessary for the simultaneous fungal cellulolytic enzyme production and alcoholic yeast fermentation of the hydrolysis-derived sugars
As an alternative to employing one genetically engineered superior biocatalyst capable of both degrading biomass and producing biofuel for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP), we present in this paper a novel microbial consortium based approach to tackle issues (i) to (iii)
We developed a membrane bio lm reactor, which, as a unique feature, enables the coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic conditions at the same time
Summary
Lignocellulosic biomass such as wood, agricultural residues or dedicated energy crops constitutes the most abundant renewable organic compound in the biosphere.. Lignocellulosic biomass such as wood, agricultural residues or dedicated energy crops constitutes the most abundant renewable organic compound in the biosphere.1 It is a promising source of mixed sugars for fermentation to biofuels and chemicals thereby reducing today's addiction to petroleum with its associated issues such as global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and uncertain sources.. Considerable progress has been made in recent years by engineering several hosts to produce a range of different biofuels from lignocellulose, most studies have a proof of concept character with low titers achieved from model celluloses (Table 1) and currently no commercially viable CBP organism has been reported.
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